One of the gifts and curses of these blogging, social-media-savvy years is that everyone has got something to say about everything. It’s a gift, because it enables us to share our goals, dreams and writing with a lot more people than we could have imagined. As writers and bloggers, this is priceless.

However it also brings out the worst in some people. The more someone enjoys the anonymity of the Internet, the more likely they are to attack with no holds barred. Anyone who doesn’t enjoy or dislike any point of view is prone to name-calling and all sorts of criticism. And who gets some of the worst of these? Writers.

You should see some of the TV series’ boards on IMDB. The way some people “review” shows, you would think they were all trained pros who have been running the best, most intelligent shows you’ve watched.

Of course you can have an opinion. Of course you can argue. But why does politeness have to be sacrificed? And why is anyone against a certain opinion deemed stupid?

I don’t usually participate except when I see a completely civil board. But I do like to browse for research purposes (I run an entertainment blog) to see how people are reacting to certain shows, events, characters… etc. Anyhow, it is sometimes scary to see how passionately someone loves or hates a show.

Recently, I’ve developed a fondness for the sci-fi/action show Intelligence. It stars Josh Holloway (Sawyer of Lost) and Megan Ory (Red from Once Upon a Time). It’s fast, fun and full of action. It’s sometimes ridiculous, but never in an off-putting way. For me, that only increases the fun. I also love the one-liners numerous watchers seem to despise.

When a show’s concept revolves around a former kick-ass soldier with a computer chip in his brain that enables him to access pretty much anything electronic/online, you know you need a certain level of suspension of disbelief. I have no such problems when it comes to pure entertainment. (Yes,I liked Face/Off too. So what? We can’t always watch movies like The Hunt, which is excellent, but ultimately depressing.)

Now, back to Intelligence. Some claim it’s the worst show of this year. Some declare it the worst show ever. Of course this “accusation” pretty much goes to all the shows…Anyway, a few quite like it the way it is.

I don’t know why people can’t just relax, and let everyone have a good time with their tastes. There are so many shows I can’t stand, but I don’t waste my time crossing my fingers for their cancellation. 

Now, as for why everyone is a writer:

For every show, the number of people cursing the writers is astounding. Many of the writers are regarded as stupid.” A kindergarten kid could do a better job”. Seriously? Then why are all the studios still after great stories? After all, if anyone who claimed they could do better than a show’s writers actually wrote and sold something better, surely all producers would be done looking for the next big thing.

I get that taste varies. I respect that. I don’t shy away from pointing out something I don’t like in a film, book or show. But wishing some parts could be done better is different to claiming, boldly and confidently, that you could have created something much more superior. And even if you could come up with something better, it still doesn’t give you the right to personally insult the writer’s skills.

What do you think about all these aggressive, “closeted” writers? Should they or shouldn’t they chill a bit? How do you react to such aggression when it is thrown upon your way?